Which office fits this client’s brief?
Turn simultaneous occupancy and a rent limit into a property recommendation.
The question
Northbank Advisory is helping a fictional Leeds client choose an office. It has 80 staff, estimates 60% will attend at the same peak time and needs 8 visitor desks then. Its annual rent limit is £220,000. All properties meet its other requirements. All figures are invented.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desks | 50 | 64 | 80 |
| Annual rent (£) | 144000 | 180000 | 216000 |
Compare rent only. Fit-out and other costs are outside this exercise.
“Which office fits this client’s brief?”
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: What must the brief specify?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Choose the cheapest office first.
Tempting, but it misses something. A price ranking can select an office that cannot fit the stated peak.
Calculate peak desk use and check the rent limit.
The strong move. These are the two stated constraints.
Require a desk for every employee and visitor.
Tempting, but it misses something. That ignores the client’s given attendance estimate.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Use simultaneous staff attendance plus visitor desks, then apply the rent limit.”
Why it works: Total staff count does not equal the number attending at once.
Step 2: How many desks are needed?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
48 desks.
Tempting, but it misses something. That counts attending staff but leaves out 8 visitors.
88 desks.
Tempting, but it misses something. That assumes every employee attends, contrary to the current brief.
56 desks.
The strong move. 48 attending staff plus 8 visitors need 56 desks.
See how a strong candidate says it
“80 × 60% + 8 = 56 desks.”
Why it works: Visitor demand is in addition to the staff peak.
Step 3: Which option fits the brief?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
A, because it has the lowest rent.
Tempting, but it misses something. Its 50 desks are fewer than the 56 required.
B, while confirming the attendance estimate.
The strong move. It meets both limits with some capacity headroom.
C, because every client should reserve 80 desks.
Tempting, but it misses something. The case gives no need for that extra capacity at this stage.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Recommend B on the current evidence. Its 64 desks fit 56 people, and £180,000 rent is within the limit.”
Why it works: C also fits, but the brief does not justify paying more for its extra desks. Confirm the attendance estimate.
Step 4: Does B still fit?
The client now confirms a regular team day with 75% of staff attending at once. The 8 visitor desks and rent limit are unchanged.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Keep B because it passed the original check.
Tempting, but it misses something. Its 64 desks cannot fit the revised requirement of 68.
Revise to C and explain the changed attendance input.
The strong move. C meets the updated seat requirement and the existing rent limit.
Add the visitors to another building without asking.
Tempting, but it misses something. That changes the client’s operating brief without agreement.
See how a strong candidate says it
“No. 80 × 75% + 8 = 68 desks. C’s 80 desks fit and its £216,000 rent remains within £220,000.”
Why it works: The confirmed attendance pattern changes the recommendation, even though the property prices are unchanged.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Revise the recommendation to C.
- Because
- The updated requirement is 68 desks; C is the only listed option that fits within the rent limit.
- What would change it
- A different attendance pattern or an agreed change to the visitor arrangement could alter the space needed.
Common traps
- Ranking rent before checking capacity.
- Keeping the first recommendation after the brief changes.
Check your answer
- What must happen at the same time?
- Did I include visitors?
- Does the recommendation meet the rent limit?
- Which new fact changes the choice?
Last reviewed Nov 10, 2026